They address priority needs relating to Buddhist monasteries and temples in the Himalayan regions of India (Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikhim), Nepal and Bhutan.

The first two workshops deal with the topics of earthen structures and wall painting restoration and conservation, and will be held respectively in Basgo and Hemis (Ladakh). Jointly organized by the UNESCO Division of Cultural Heritage and NIRLAC (Namgyal Institute for Research on Ladakhi Art and Culture), the workshops will be conducted by international experts and will give theoretical instruction as well as on-site training to trainees from each participating country.

The main objective is to provide training in conservation techniques and practices that are compatible with both international standards and norms in the living cultural contexts to which this heritage belongs. The approach is therefore of a consultative nature. Accordingly, UNESCO has consulted Buddhist monks and scholars and national heritage professionals and local community representatives to ensure that the spiritual, cultural and social traditions of the monasteries, and traditional Himalayan Buddhist approaches to restoration and conservation, are fully reflected in the programme.

The two remaining workshops in the Programme, to be held in the course of 2005, will address the restoration of timber structures and of thangkas and ritual objects. The schedule and locations have yet to be confirmed.

Related programme: Cultural and Eco-tourism in the Mountainous Regions of Central Asia and in the Himalayas

Related theme : Tangible Heritage